As cases being to surge and coronavirus hits its second wave, homeless shelters begin to face concerning issues. Homeless shelters around the world must start shorting the number of homeless people to limit the severity of virus exposures.
This is an impossible system to fight; this exists as a cyclical nature where the pandemic causes major economic regression as citizens restrict their spending, and as business goes down corporations are forced to law off employees, and this lack of employment, in turn, leads to even more frugality. A study done by Columbia University indicates that the number of people without permanent housing will increase by a margin of 45% by the end of the year all due to mass unemployment.
Local and State governments have been doing their part in curbing the infection rate as the state of California has pledged $150 million dollars to help combat Covid-19 in homeless populations. Yet the monetary expenditure hit even harder for the federal government, where 2020's fiscal year increased $2.105 trillion from last year with that budget entirely made up of coronavirus aid programs, stimulus checks, and unemployment aid compensation.
"As the numbers climb, shelters have transformed their spaces to meet Covid-19 guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention," said Donald Whitehead, an executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless. The stricter requirements imposed by the CDC compromises the majority unaccounted for: the homeless. And although some cities such as Los Angles and Denver helped secure hotels for the homeless, the spikes in Covid-19 outbreaks within these allocated hotels and shelters have devastated the local population.
We still see no light in this dark tunnel as infection rates and death tolls are record-breaking every other day. The conditions are incredibly dire for those without residence as shelters fill up and cities are locking down. I believe the best we can do now as citizens to help is to mitigate the spread of infections by obeying CDC's set requirements and district set curfews. How should governments tackle this issue?
7 comments:
This is an extremely hard and devastating issue to approach, as there is no single amazing fix-all solution. I would say that the best way for people to approach this is by doing their part to follow the CDC guidelines, as every little bit helps. Another thing that might be helpful is those that who have a little extra to spare should look into creating hygiene kits to donate to shelters and local homeless populations. They could include soap, toothbrush, and toothpaste, in addition to hand sanitizer and some disposable masks. There's no right answer to this, but if everyone helps the best they can, all the little bits will add together to make a bigger difference. What people shouldn't do is assume that since they are one person, they can't make a difference and therefore stop following CDC guidelines or just do absolutely nothing at all.
I agree with Malia's points above. To mitigate the damage done to homeless communities requires a safer environment, and for that to be accounted for, we need to follow the CDC's guidelines to ensure healthy spaces. On the CDC's website, they have outlined certain procedures to help communities. They stress the need to continue homeless services during the COVID-19 spread and assert that services must be maintained for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Many individuals who are homeless are older adults or have underlying medical conditions that put them at even increased risks. The CDC mentions that "health departments and healthcare facilities should be aware that people who are homeless are a particularly vulnerable group." As of now, we can only continue to follow health guidelines to try to mitigate the number of cases daily and to decrease the risks for homeless individuals.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/homeless-shelters/unsheltered-homelessness.html
When the pandemic first began, people and government officials were very concerned that the coronavirus was going to devastate homeless shelters and the homeless population. As a result, in San Francisco, some of the homeless population was shuffled into hotel rooms to distance and thin down shelter populations. Others were open to stay in Safe Sleeping Streets to allow for more distance. Some advocates are calling for governments to funnel some of their relief money to provide housing or temporary housing for the homeless population, which I think they did to a degree, but may have stopped or slowed as of recent. With a large spike in unemployment, continued need for resources such as shelters, food banks, bathrooms and available testing are needed.
Homelessness amid the pandemic is definitely a complicated issue to tackle. At the beginning of lockdown back in March 2020, some hotels in San Francisco began opening up the vacant rooms to the particularly vulnerable populations, which proved as a good temporary solution. However, with the cases worsening, this partial relocation is no linger feasible, as a more comprehensive solution is necessary. While monetary aid is definitely useful, I do not believe that economic support alone will solve the issue. Homeless shelters are struggling to stay afloat, and have been asking for donations of sanitary supplies such as hand sanitizer, soap, water and masks for protection. It is important to donate if we can in order to do our part in helping those struggling the most during these trying times.
As San Francisco and neighboring districts go back on lockdown, it is essential that the homelessness dilemma is tackled head on, with more preventative measures before it is too late. I believe that some form of legislative relief, whether that be directly to homeless shelters or to individual citizens is vital to keep the homeless safe, and allow the shelters to stay open and help those in most need.
Homelessness itself is a tough problem to tackle, let alone during a pandemic. I can't even begin to fathom how this whole situation has impacted many homeless individuals. With homeless people being forced back out onto the street due to limited spacing as you mentioned, it's hard to imagine a world in which these homeless people are able to escape poverty/homelessness. The cycle of poverty that existed prior to COVID-19 was vicious on its own, but now with the virus closing things across the country, support options seem to be even more limited than before. Since hospitals are already filled up to capacity with people, I can't imagine it to be easy for homeless people to get assistance with their health. Lastly, I think that the some of the most crucial things to help support the homeless community at this time would be donations, whether it be masks, clothing, anything that could help, along with the support of shelters so they can seek expanding their facility and helping to get those in need of the street.
As others have stated homelessness itself is a hard issue to tackle and adding a pandemic on top of it doesn't make it any easier. I remember at one point in vegas they had homeless people in parking lots 6 ft away. However it was odd to see the photos of people struggling to stay warm at the night while a 5-star hotel full of resources behind them lit up the sky. I get why they weren't able to give people space in a close environment however there were plenty of resources going unused inside. I think as a community whether its clubs, small business, private organizations or individuals every small thing helps. Especially around this time of year when its colder donating masks with blankets or jackets would help a lot. However there obviously needs to be action from the state government at least with larger legislation and plans to tackle this issue.
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